Bozeman, Martin Waller

Contributor: Greggory E. Davies
120 Ted Price Lane
Winnfield, LA 71483

Martin Waller (Doc) Bozeman was born May 5, 1859, in Terrell County, Georgia, the son of William Edwin Bozeman and Tamzy Harris. When he reached the age of twenty-one, Martin left Georgia and traveled to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where an older brother, John, had already become established. There with John's help, Martin found employment. Upon finding work he also found love. He married Caroline Elizabeth Eck, born August 7, 1866, the daughter of German immigrants Miahael Eck and Eva Katherine Kopf, on February 20, 1890.

Together Martin and Caroline had six children, all of who are deceased. The children included Harley Bernard, born 1891; Clyde Orene, born 1893; Michael Edwin, born 1895; Myrtle, born 1899; Eva Tamzy, born 1906; and Eck Hart, born 1908. Of the six children, Eck and Eva were born in Winnfield, Winn Parish, Louisiana.

For several years after his marriage Martin Waller Bozeman farmed a few acres along the Ouachita River, twelve miles south of Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He later followed the Arkansas-Southern Railroad earning pay as a competent carpenter. This was around the turn of the century when farm life in South Arkansas was rigorous due to drought and deflation.

In 1901, he moved to Dodson where he took part in helping to build several sawmills. From Dodson he relocated to Winnfield in 1905 where continued carpentry and later established his own dairy selling mile to the local residents, until his death in 1926. He was well liked and respected by his neighbors and acquaintances. His wife Caroline died in 1949.

Harley Bernard Bozeman, born May 3, 1891, was just ten years old when his father, Martin Waller Bozeman, moved the family from Clark County, Arkansas to Dodson in 1901. At this time there were no child labor laws forbidding children working, so Harley went to work in a sawmill as well in local stores.

In 1905 the Bozeman family moved to Winnfield. This particular date marked the beginning of young Harley's friendship with one-time Governor, U. S. Senator, and presidential candidate Huey Pierce Long, Jr. They remained close friends throughout their youth, attending school together at the old Winnfield High School. Harley and Huey established a business of selling books door to door, to local residents and sometimes as far away as Dodson.

Harley graduated from the Winnfield High School in 1910, and for the next several years traveled about the South selling such products as Cotolene, a cooking oil made from cottonseed oil, Goldust washing powder, and Calumet baking soda. Later, in 1918, he entered the army attending Officer Candidate School. He was discharged from the army after Armistice and resumed his career as salesman until 1922 when he met and married Annabell Estes, who was born February 1, 1894, a school teacher and native of Milam County, Texas. They returned to Winnfield where Harley carried on a number of businesses until in 1928 he was elected to the Louisiana legislature. There he served as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee while Huey Long was governor and O. K. Allen was state senator from the district. Because of his long time friendship with Long, Harley resigned his seat to become Chairman of the Louisiana Tax Commission. As one of the few Administration's supporters in the House, he helped in the passage of the first paved road and free bridge legislation ever enacted by the Louisiana legislature.

Bozeman was a charter member of the Winnfield First Federal Savings and Loan Association and served on the board until 1970. Also, in his hometown he served on the Winnfield City Council and was instrumental in the purchase of the municipal electrical plant in 1942. He later served on the Louisiana State Mineral Board from 1948 to 1952 while Earl K. Long, brother of Huey, was governor.

Harley and Annabel had two children, Helen Gayle, born December 11, 1923, and Estes Bernard, born February 7, 1926. Helen Gayle married Thomas D. Fausett on June 9, 1945 and they had two daughters, Sherry Gayle and Tina Denise, who have one son and one daughter each. Estes Bernard married Peggy J. Brand on April 26, 1952, and they had five children, Patricia Gayle, Peggy Lea, Annabel, Thomas Estes, and Caroline. They have several grandchildren.

After the death of Harley's wife on March 19, 1956, he spent the rest of his life researching and writing about many historical subjects concerning Winn Parish in a weekly newspaper column "Winn Parish As I Have Known It" for the Winn Parish Enterprise.

A long time friend and confident of Huey P. Long, Harley B. Bozeman later furnished much valuable information to T. Harry Williams, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Huey Long.

Estes B. Bozeman was born in Winnfield, Louisiana, February 7, 1926 and graduated from Winnfield High School in 1943. From there he entered Louisiana Tech in the fall of 1943, studying for one trimester. Upon reaching the age of 18, he entered the Navy in May, 1944, and received boot training at Camp Wallace, Texas, located between Houston and Galveston. After boot camp, he was selected to be an aviation radioman on a torpedo bomber. He received his training at Memphis, Tennessee, Miami, Florida, and finally Los Alimitos Naval Air Station at Los Angeles, California.

After the war ended he resumed his studies at Louisiana Tech and received a B. S. Degree in Forestry in 1950. Soon after graduation he went to work for Tremont Lumber Company in Joyce, Louisiana, as a forester.

In 1952 Estes met and married Peggy J. Brand, born December 11, 1931, daughter of L. D. Brand and Onie White. They had five children as follows: Patricia Gayle, born March 29, 1953; Peggy Lea, born March 6, 1955; Annabel, born October 27, 1956; Thomas Estes, born June 1, 1961; and Betty Caroline, born October 8, 1964.

In 1982, Mr. Bozeman retired from Crown Zellerbach Company which acquired Tremont Lumber Company in 1974.

Among the other activities and organizations that he belonged to are: First Baptist Church of Winnfield, Board of Directors of the First Federal Savings and Loan, Winnfield Lions Club, in which he served as president, local weather observer for the U. S. Weather Bureau since 1956, and Board of Directors of the Highway 84 West Water System. Estes has served his church as a Sunday school teacher for many years and he and Peggy have long been civic leaders in their community.

(The above articles were written by Bozeman family members in years past and permission was granted by them to the submitter for reproduction and presentation to the LouisianaGenWeb Archives. The articles were combined and briefly edited by the submitter. On a personal note, the Bozeman family has had a tremendous impact on Winnfield and Winn Parish since their arrival here almost 100 years ago. The family was somewhat shy in their compilations of these articles, apparently not wanting to brag. Mr. Harley Bozeman was the mover and shaker behind many of the ideas and much of the progressive legislation passed by the Huey Long Administration. In fact, the "free text book" legislation for all students of public and private schools, black or white, Protestant or Catholic, was an idea of Mr. and Mrs. Harley Bozeman, and due to their efforts, Louisiana's school children have long benefitted from free textbooks.

For many years, any progressive move made by local, state, or federal government was usually as a result of Mr. Harley Bozeman's ideas. His work as a historian for Winn and surrounding areas is priceless to any student of history or genealogy. Recently a Winnfield city park near his boyhood home was named in his honor by Mayor Deano Thornton and the Winnfield City Council. The submitter of this work to the archives has been fortunate enough to have known Mr. Harley Bozeman, his son Estes, and Mrs. Peggy Bozeman, and all of their children. The entire family has served Winnfield and Winn Parish well and are model citizens.